Marking International Mountain Day with "Tracking the Mountain Ghost"

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11 December 2019

Kathmandu, Nepal – As a part of this year’s Kathmandu International Film Festival (KIMFF)—and on the occasion of International Mountain Day—WWF Nepal organized an interactive storytelling event at City Hall, Kathmandu.

The session, led by three snow leopard conservationists from WWF Nepal with more than 30 years of experience between them, engaged the audience on the realities of living with snow leopards, working in their habitats and the science behind it all. Aptly named ‘Tracking the Mountain Ghost,’ the event also took students behind the scenes of the snow leopard collaring process—delving into details about the importance of snow leopard research and its impacts in informing national and international conservation approaches.

The global theme for this year’s Mountain Day Celebration, #MountainsMatterforYouth, strives to highlight the role of the next generation in conserving mountain habitats and overall ecology. As such, a core part of the event focused on the role of youth in taking Nepal forward as a leader in global snow leopard conservation.

Addressing a hall brimming with curious young minds, Dr. Ghana S. Gurung, Country Representative of WWF Nepal said, “What started out as an expedition led by an International wildlife biologist, Dr. Rodney Jakson in the 1970s, today is being spearheaded by Nepal’s next generation of wildlife researchers.”

The session saw a participation of over 300 attendees—over 80% of whom were youth. Representatives of various organizations and journalists, among others, were also in attendance.

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Dr. Ghana Shyam Gurung underscored the importance of the next generation in furthering Nepal's position as a global snow leopard conservation leader.

Samundra Subba, Research Officer at WWF Nepal, was in his 20s when he first began snow leopard research. In his 6 years with WWF, he’s been a key player for 5 successful snow leopard collaring expeditions.

Sheren Shrestha, Senior Research Officer at WWF Nepal, premiered his original song "Ghost of the Mountain" at the event. Shrestha has been working in wildlife conservation for over a decade in both Nepal and India. With his intersectional lens in wildlife communications and environmental science, his contributions to the field have been critical, especially in working with local communities and urban youth.